He Who Hesitates Gets Best Deals On Christmas Eve

December 25, 1990|By MICHAEL KORETZKY, Staff Writer

With less than 12 hours till Christmas morning, Tom Knibbs was a desperate holiday shopper. Not only was he short a few gifts for his family, he was still looking for a Christmas tree to put the gifts under.

``Nothing like waiting till the last possible minute, is there?`` Knibbs said Monday afternoon.

But Knibbs, a commercial photographer based in Boca Raton, was rewarded for his procrastination. His tree was half price.

``He got a seven-foot Scotch pine for $20,`` said Michael Kesselman, manager of the Sunrise Kiwanis Club tree lot at the intersection of Palmetto Park Road and Federal Highway. ``That tree went for $40 just last Friday.``

Kesselman sold more than 20 trees on Christmas Eve. Some buyers were procrastinators like Knibbs, but many more purposely waited until the last minute -- either to snag a bargain or defend a holiday tradition of decorating the tree on Christmas Eve.

John Times, owner of a landscaping firm, said he bought his tree on Christmas Eve to protest the drawn-out holiday season.

``Christmas has become too commercial, and it starts too early,`` the Deerfield Beach resident said as he perused the lot with a landscaper`s eye for detail. ``Some people keep them up for a month. That`s too long. This one`s coming down New Year`s Day.``

Although staunchly anti-commercial, Times conceded that he stands on price as much as principle. He haggled a $10 deal for a $30 tree.

In the midst of a recession, more people delayed their tree-buying this season and walked away with bargains, said P.J. Hodges, manager of the Happy Holidays lot at the intersection of Federal Highway and Lindell Boulevard.

``The recession has really hit us. Our earnings are down 8 percent,`` Hodges said. ``But it`s a deal for the customer. Ten bucks for a $50 tree is a great deal.``